Finding Aura
by CyberChick135
Summary: After five years in prison, Kylie Morrison breaks free with her cellmate Clarice Fong. After being saved by members of the Underground, Kylie struggles with finding her place within the organization. When unrest befalls the Underground, Kylie struggles to find where her true allegiance lies. [slow burn John/OC]
1. Hunted

**Hunted**

* * *

**A/N: After finishing season two of **_**The Gifted**_**, I tweaked Kylie's backstory a bit, and thus the first chapters needed to be revised. So the story has been re-uploaded with said revisions. I'll try to update as frequently as possible. Hope you guys enjoy. Reviews are appreciated, and please no flames.**

**XOXO~Cyber**

* * *

The rain poured down over the streets of Atlanta, police sirens wailing in the distance. Two young women ran down the streets, their feet splashing in the puddles. One had dark hair with purple streaks and bright green eyes, the other had platinum hair and pale silver eyes. Both were wearing beige uniforms similar to scrubs with white long-sleeved shirts underneath.

They turned a corner with a lit up police car right on their heels. The girls skidded to a halt when they came to a dead end in their escape, the police cruiser speeding towards them.

"On the ground now!" one of the officers yelled over the car's loudspeaker. "Put your hands on your head."

The platinum blonde spun on her heels, watching as the cruiser came up on them. "We're not going back." she stated, her chest heaving. She flexed her fingers, an invisible ripple swirled up around her arms. Her eyes changed to a dark oceanic blue, "We're never going back!" she screamed, throwing her arms out in front of her as her hair changed to the same color as her eyes, a wave of water crashed over the police car.

Behind her, the other girl had created a swirling vortex, "Come on!" she yelled. Both girls jumped through it, landing in another part of the city, in another alleyway. "That was too close." the green-eyed mutant panted.

The other mutant, who's hair and eyes faded back to their original color, nodded in agreement. She got to her feet and held her hand out, "I promised you, didn't I?" she raised a brow, "We're never going back inside another cage. Not ever. Clarice, I swear."

Clarice nodded, taking her former cellmate's hand, "Yeah Ky." she caught her breath as she stood up.

The mutant, known as Kylie, gave a nod. "Come on, let's keep moving." she voted, picking up a leather knapsack and slung it across her chest, heading towards some warehouses. "Atlanta PD is all over looking for us, we need to find somewhere they can't get to us."

"Easier said than done." Clarice muttered, the two girls breaking into a sprint.

* * *

The two found an old building and broke inside, heading to a back office to try and find some new clothes, wanting to get out of their prison garments as soon as possible. After breaking open a large cabinet, they were in luck, stripping out of their soaked clothes and into some dry ones; some old jeans and loose fitting tank tops.

A rattling spooked them, causing them to look around frantically, "What was that?" Clarice asked, shrinking back into the darkness.

"I don't know." Kylie answered, throwing on a black sweater over her tank. "Just get ready to portal us out if needed." She raked her fingers through her damp hair, standing protectively in front of her cellmate.

A man, roughly twenty-five or so, carefully entered the room. When he spotted the two girls, he held his hands up defensively, "It's okay." he assured. "We're just gonna talk."

Kylie's eyes changed to a steel blue, as did her hair. She threw her hand out and a blast of ice shot from her palm, which the older mutant ducked to avoid. "Hey, hold up." he pleaded, another shot of ice fired, which he dodged. "Wait a minute!" Kylie's eyes narrowed as a light coat of frost began to cover her skin, "Whoa." he panted, "Calm down, all right?"

Clarice grabbed a stapler from the desk and was ready to throw it, still partially hiding behind Kylie, "You with the cops?" asked the green-eyed girl. "I can't go back."

"We're never going back!" spat Kylie, whose lips turned a light blue as the temperature in the room further decreased.

"We're not cops, okay?" assured the male, taking a step closer. "We heard the two of you broke out of prison and we came looking."

"I don't understand." Clarice swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Who the hell are you people?" Kylie adjusted her stance, preparing to fire another ice blast.

A dark haired girl with pale skin and hazel eyes appeared from behind the male. She held up her hand, which was surrounded by a dark green aura, and the stapler flew from Clarice's hand into hers. "Just a couple of freaks." she answered. "Same as you two."

"Look, I'm Marcos." the male mutant introduced. "This is Lorna." he motioned to the girl. "Now, trust me, we have all been where you are, or worse. We can help." Marcos reassured. Kylie lowered her hand from her prepped attack, the temperature in the room returning to normal, however her eyes and hair remained the same. "Now come with us." Marcos advised. "We can get you some place safe."

"Guys!" another male's voice called out. On reflex, Kylie held her hand out towards the door, her steel-blue eyes narrowed. The male in question was tall and muscular, with tanned skin, dark hair and matching eyes. "There's trouble."

Marcos turned to the two fugitives, "Come on, get dressed." he told them. "You're with us now." Him and Lorna left the room.

Clarice peeked through the blinds while Kylie stuffed slung her knapsack over her shoulder. "What do we do?" Clarice asked.

"Honestly, I'm taking my chances with those mutants over the Atlanta PD." Kylie breathed, brushing some hair from her face, which was now back to it's normal platinum color.

"This is the Atlanta Police Department." an officer called out. "We know the fugitives are in the building. Come out now, or we will open fire."

Kylie and Clarice hunched low in the office entryway, watching the other mutants. The woman known as Lorna stood at the window and gestured her hands in a downward motion, which sent out a wave of energy so powerful that it took out the police cruisers.

That's when the Atlanta PD opened fire. At the sound of gunshots, Kylie slid to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest, bracing her back against the wooden door-frame. Her chest heaved and she squeezed her eyes shut, the sounds of gunfire and shattering glass, along with her own rapid heartbeat is all she heard. Her hands covered her ears and she gripped her hair, her breathing getting more rapid.

The third mutant, known as John, ran through the gunfire to the two fugitive mutants. "Come on, the way out's through there." he motioned to the back of the building. There's a car in the east alley, that's where we gotta go."

Clarice nodded in understanding, turning to Kylie, "You heard him K, let's go!" When Kylie didn't even move, Clarice knelt down in front of her, "Kylie!" she shook her shoulders, "Did you get shot? What's wrong?"

John focused his hearing and picked up on Kylie's rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. "No, she's having a panic attack." he answered, kneeling directly in front of the platinum haired mutant. "Listen, Kylie, right?" he spoke in a calm voice, getting the girl's attention, "It's Kylie?"

"Yeah." she answered through labored breaths.

"Alright, Kylie. I'm John." he moved his head to meet her eyes. "I'm here to help get you to safety. We have a car in the east alley. From there we'll take you and your friend where the police won't find you." Kylie nodded along, her breathing and heart rate leveling out. "You're among friends now. We take care of our own." John pulled her to her feet and away from the wall, keeping his hands on her forearms to steady her.

Lorna ran up to them, "Marcos is gonna buy us a getaway, we gotta get out now." she panted.

* * *

The four mutants ran for their exit, Lorna and John pulling the steel door open like it was nothing. "Go! Go!" Marcos yelled after them, the entire building suddenly becoming enveloped in light.

They ran out into the rain, a black panel van right where they left it. A few of the officers came around the side and alerted the others, drawing their weapons and firing. A bullet hit Kylie in the shoulder and she fell to the ground with a scream. She rolled to the side, her eyes and hair turning blue once more, but once she looked up, all she could see was the barrel of the officer's gun and her eyes faded back to silver. She waited for the next gunshot, and squeezed her eyes shut. All she heard was the officer grunting instead.

When she opened her eyes, Lorna was knelt beside her. "Us mutant chicks gotta stick together." she said with a smirk, her hand hovering over Kylie's shoulder. "Fair warning, this will hurt." She flexed her fingers and the bullet ripped through Kylie's skin and clothing, and hovered in Lorna's hand. Kylie let out a howl of pain and hunched over, Lorna yanking her to her feet. "Come on girl, let's go." She shoved her ahead to the open panel door.

Another gunshot rang out and Marcos groaned, falling to the ground. Lorna's head whipped in her boyfriend's direction and seeing the pained look on his face was enough to set her into a rage.

Clarice braced herself on the inside of the van, Kylie leaned against her arm, her own hand pressed to her shoulder. Blood trickled through her fingers, staining the front of the sweater.

"What happened to you back there?" Clarice asked, ripping off the other sleeve of Kylie's sweater to press against the wound.

"It's nothin." Kylie panted, her body shaking. "I just don't like guns. Too many-" she took deep, yet labored breaths, squeezing her shoulder tighter.

John and Marcos jumped into the front seats and the van sped away from the building. Marcos was bleeding from the wound on his arm and practically begging John to turn around so he could save Lorna, but John just kept driving.

"Hey, mind cluing us in on where you're taking us?" Clarice asked, hitting the passenger seat to get the guys' attention.

"Our headquarters." John answered, glancing in the rear view mirror. "It's safe, both from cops and Sentinel Services."

Clarice looked back to Kylie, who was growing paler due to blood loss. The platinum haired mutant took shallow breaths, her grip on her shoulder loosening before her hand fell to the side, blood staining her fingers.


	2. The Mutant Underground

**The Mutant Underground**

* * *

Kylie laid on a steel table while one of the Mutant Underground members worked on the gunshot wound in her shoulder. The sleeves of her sweater had been cut away so she could have better access to the wound. "There's a lot of muscle damage in her shoulder. Was this a through and through?" she asked, her cat ears twitching as she looked to John who was standing in the doorway.

He shook his head, "No. Lorna used her powers and pulled the bullet out."

"I keep telling her not to do that unless I'm there." the cat mutant hissed, her pupils slitting for a split second before returning to normal. She had blonde hair that was pulled into a low ponytail and bright blue eyes, along with a pair of Lynx ears and a tail. "It does more harm than good, at least in this case." Her hand hovered over the wound, her fingers gently moving as she used her telekinesis to repair the damaged muscle tissue.

"Is she gonna be okay, Lucy?" John asked.

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Lucy answered. Her computer beeped and on the screen appeared Kylie's prison file. "Alright, let's see." her eyes scanned over the information, "Full name, Kylie Rae Morrison. Born March 20, 1998 in Norman, Oklahoma. Was arrested in 2012 by Savannah PD." She scoffed and shook her head, "Man, 14 years old at that time, poor girl. Arrested at that age and she just broke out yesterday? That's five years." Her ears flattened against her head. "If anyone was in need of a jailbreak, she was." Lucy sighed and grabbed some gauze wrap from her storage shelf. "Go check on Marcos, I'll finish up here and when she wakes up, I'll talk to her."

"Great, thanks Luce." John nodded and walked out. In the next room over, Marcos was being patched up by another cat-like mutant; who had curly brown hair with black puma ears and tail.

* * *

Kylie stirred on the table, her head falling to the side. Her eyes moved rapidly beneath her lids as her fingers twitched. Inside her head, images flashed from years ago, the sounds blurring together. A few frames became clearer; a black Semi cab surrounded by open fields, rain pouring from the sky as thunder and lightning crashed in the distance, a gun moving slowly to where it's barrel is at eye level before it's yanked back by someone, then the shot rings out and a scream pierces through the storm.

Kylie's eyes flew open as she shot up, panting. She scanned the room, not knowing at all where she was, then she felt the pain in her shoulder. "Easy there sweetie, you're okay." Lucy soothed, standing beside the table. "You're safe now."

"Where am I?" Kylie demanded. "Where's Clarice?" She swung her leg over the table's edge and winced, her hand moving to her shoulder. "What happened?"

"Answering those in order: the Atlanta HQ of the Mutant Underground, she's talking with one of my colleagues, and you were shot." Lucy answered, handing Kylie a glass of water and a couple of pills. "Take those, it'll help with the pain."

"Mutant Underground." Kylie repeated, taking the pills and chasing them with water.

"We help mutants get to safe havens. Most are on the run, like you and your friend, Clarice." Lucy clarified, taking a sheet of paper from her desk and handing it to Kylie. "So, you up for answering some questions?"

When Kylie looked at the paper, her eyes narrowed. It was a single sheet with her prison record. "How'd you get this?" she asked, crumpling the paper in her hand.

"We have our resources." Lucy placed her hand over Kylie's. "It's okay, you're among friends here." Kylie looked up and saw Lucy's eyes glow blue before her pupils slit like a cat's and her ears popped out from her hair. "When it says resisting arrest-"

Kylie scoffed, "Resisting arrest. More like self-defense." she rolled her eyes, "Off-duty cops from Savannah PD pulled my dad's truck over and they asked all these questions." She bit her lip. "They didn't like the answers he gave so they started beating him, that's when I stepped in. I used my powers to protect him and-" her voice cracked as she squeezed her eyes shut, biting back the tears. "-I fought back, and when my dad tried to save me-" the sound of a gunshot rang in her ears, "-they shot him. Dragged me away kicking and screaming and left my father to bleed to death on a back country road."

Lucy's ears fell to the sides, "I am so sorry, that's horrible." she gently rubbed Kylie's un-bandaged shoulder. She looked down and saw a vertical scar on the underside of the teen's left forearm.

"I spent five years in that hell-hole." the silver haired teen shook her head, her hands clenching into fists.

Lucy nodded her head, looking away from the scar, "Well, you're with your own kind now." she assured, "You're safe."

Kylie hopped off the table and gave the cat-girl mutant a half-smile, grabbing her leather knapsack from the floor, "Thanks uh-"

"Lucy." she cut in, "Lucy Dawson."

Kylie gave a nod and walked out, searching out Clarice, who was sitting by herself on an old chair. She jogged up to her, "Hey, you okay?"

The green-eyed mutant looked up at her, "Yeah, just glad I can finally rest." she shrugged her shoulders, and motioned to the bandage on Kylie's shoulder, "What about you?"

"Barely hurts." the silver haired mutant replied, sitting on a small end table. She looked around the building, "This place seems alright." Kylie shrugged. "Maybe we can crash here a while until we figure out what to do."

"It's as good a place as any." Clarice sighed.

* * *

The two girls stood close as they walked around the building, which was the remains of an old bank, Kylie now wearing a grey zip-up hoodie over her clothes. They heard sounds coming from the vault, followed by a glowing light. They stood in the entryway, watching as Marcos used his power to cut through a cinder block. On the couch laid a dog with black and white fur and blue eyes.

"Is that your dog?" Clarice asked, her and Kylie stepping over the threshold. Said dog poked her head up and kept her eyes on the two girls.

"Zingo." Marcos sighed. "She's, uh she's everybody's, really." He went back to cutting the cinder block.

"We didn't mean to intrude." Kylie admitted, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "We just wanted to say, thanks for, you know, saving us." Clarice elbowed her in the side, and Kylie sighed heavily, "And I'm sorry for using my ice power on you."

Marcos chuckled, "Don't worry about it." he brushed off. "All's forgiven. If I was in your shoes I would've done the same thing."

"So this group." Clarice said, sitting on the couch with Kylie sitting on the armrest of a recliner. "You guys run it or something?"

"No. The network's nationwide." Marcos corrected. "Founded after the anti-mutant laws first got bad. Just before the X-Men disappeared."

"What about this place?" Kylie raised a brow, reaching out to pet Zingo.

"Uh, it's been abandoned since Oakwood." Marcos answered. "Figure it's the last place they'd look." he shrugged his shoulders. "I got brought into this station by, uh, John and and by Lorna." He finished cutting through the block and caught his breath.

"I guess this-" Kylie motioned to the part that had fallen to the floor, "-has something to do with getting her out of jail?" She raised an eyebrow.

Marcos nodded, "Yeah. Well that was the idea." He stood up and looked over his handiwork. "Should work great, as long as they have no guards or cameras-"

"-Or smoke detectors?" Clarice added, which made Kylie chuckle.

The silver haired girl cleared her throat, "For what it's worth, uh I know you lost her helping us." She looked to Clarice. "Hell, she pulled a bullet from my shoulder."

Marcos held his hand up, "It wasn't either one of your faults." He scratched Zingo behind her ears, before glancing in the girls' direction, specifically Clarice. "You got out of prison using some kind of portal, right?" he questioned, making Clarice look up at him. "Think you could get someone in?"

Clarice sighed, "It doesn't work like that." she admitted, biting her lip. "It's bad if I try to go someplace that I can't see, someplace I haven't been."

Marcos raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by bad?"

Clarice and Kylie exchanged a glance, before the green-eyed girl created two small openings which glowed a light purple, one was in front of her hand, the other above Marcos. Kylie grabbed a toy that looked like a cartoon frog and tossed it through the portal by Clarice's hand, the bottom half landed at Marcos' feet. Zingo let out a bark, her ears perked up.

"Right." Marcos sighed, examining the bottom half of the frog. "That was her favorite toy." His cell phone went off and he answered, walking a few paces away from the couch.

"Oh." Kylie mouthed, looking at the dog, "My bad." She held her hand out, which Zingo licked.

Marcos left the vault to talk with the man who called him and was discussing about setting up a meeting. What he didn't know was that Clarice was listening in on the conversation.

"What was that all about?" Clarice asked as Marcos walked back into the vault, grabbing a few things.

"Just business, helping a mutant family." Marcos answered, throwing on a flannel over his t-shirt. "Don't tell anyone." He left before either girl could say a word.

"Think that also has something to do with his girl?" Kylie muttered, glancing at Clarice, who just shrugged.

* * *

After creating a few small portals, the other half of the dog's toy fell from the ceiling. Kylie found some duct tape around Marcos' work station and taped the frog together. "See?" she smiled, holding up the toy and squeaked it, getting Zingo's ears to perk up. "All fixed." Zingo barked as the silver-haired girl tossed her toy on the couch with a giggle and scratched her behind the ear.

Kylie glanced up at Clarice, who was pacing back and forth, "Dude, you're gonna create a rut in the floor if you keep that up." she noted, getting to her feet. "What's on your mind?"

Clarice sighed and leaned against the table, "I'm thinking that, maybe we should tell someone that Marcos left. I mean, we kind of owe him and his girlfriend saved our asses."

Kylie nodded, "Alright, let's go find that other guy-" she closed her eyes and snapped her fingers trying to pull his name from her memory, "-John. He might know what to do." she shrugged, giving Zingo a pat on the head before following Clarice out of the vault.

The two girls found John on the upper level of the building, going over a map with another mutant. "Just do what you can, okay?" he told the other mutant, who nodded and left. John leaned back in the chair, his attention on Kylie and Clarice, "Something wrong?"

"No." Kylie reflexively answered, taking a deep breath and exhaling as she leaned against the table. "We just need to talk to you." She propped one of her legs on the table, the other dangling over the edge. "About Marcos."

John's lips cracked a smile as he chuckled, "Uh, listen Marcos is...he's an emotional guy." he informed the two newcomers. "So, whatever he said, don't take it personal-"

"No, it's not about that." Clarice cut off. "Its-He got a phone call from some guy. Something about helping a family."

"He ran off about an hour ago." Kylie added, "Alone."

John's demeanor changed after hearing that. He was on his feet in seconds and slammed his hands on the table, "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because he told us not to." Clarice defended. "And he didn't want to get anyone else involved because it was dangerous." she leaned against the banister, "But then I was thinking about how Ky and I owe his girlfriend. And she'd be pissed if he died."

Kylie nodded in agreement, "And after seeing her go postal on those cops for shooting her boyfriend, we figured it'd be the smart decision not to get on her bad side."

John sighed, making his way to the stairs, "Come on." he motioned for the girls to follow him.

"Where are you going?" Kylie asked, keeping her eyes on John. "We don't even know where he is."

"I found the two of you." John reminded, turning on his heels to look at the two female mutants. "Trust me, I can find him."

Kylie scoffed, her jaw dropping, "Cocky son of a bitch, ain't he." she noted, casting a side glance at Clarice, who just shrugged.

* * *

Using his abilities, John was able to track Marcos to a large, abandoned warehouse facility. "Sentinel Services is here?" Kylie muttered, bracing herself against the side of the building, her hands clenching into fists.

"Marcos is that way, along with four others." John informed. "We can get in through there and head off Sentinel Services."

After catching their breath, the mutant trio ran into the warehouse, halting in front of a large, steel door. "How the hell are we supposed to get through that?" Clarice asked.

John cracked his knuckles and punched the door, earning a shocked reaction from the two girls, who exchanged a glance.

* * *

The clanging coming from the steel door startled the Strucker family, whom Marcos was trying to help. The two teenage mutants, Lauren and Andy, clung tighter to their parents, Reed and Caitlin, expecting the worst to come through the door. It swung open, revealing John, Clarice, and Kylie, all motioning for the family to follow them. They wasted no time to argue.

The group of eight ran across the open facility floor, when suddenly John came to an abrupt halt. Using his foresight ability, John picked up on the deployment of the Sentinel Services' mutant-hunting robots, known as Sentinels. "They're coming!" he alerted the others, "That way! Go! To the hallway!"

It wasn't long before the spider-like machines had the group in sight and started converging on them. Andy tripped and rolled to the ground, panting and trying to catch his breath and get to his feet. John pulled him up by his jacket and shoved him ahead, giving the Sentinel robot an opening to latch onto his leg. Not wanting to lose another friend, Marcos used his powers to burn the machine until it released its grip, giving the two men the chance to escape.

The group turned down the hallway and skidded to a halt when a Sentinel jumped down from the ceiling, its sights focused on the mutants. Kylie raised her arms, feeling the water from the pipes in the wall. She closed her eyes and flexed her fingers, the liquid bursting through the concrete walls. When her eyes opened, they were dark blue and her hair soon faded into the same color, her focus on the robot before her. With a surge of energy, Kylie pushed the wave forward, flooding the hallway. The color lightened to the steel blue as a sphere of water encased the robot before freezing solid.

However, things never go that simply. The Sentinel still had some fight and began chipping away at the ice, shocking Kylie as her hair and eyes shifted back to their normal platinum colors. "Damnit." she cursed under her breath, before taking off in another direction with the rest.

The group skidded to a halt when they came to a door blocking their exit. Another robot cornered them and sent out a signal, and more Sentinels started coming out from all sides. Marcos fired a solar beam and kept one down, but three more soon joined the party. The teenage girl, Lauren, stepped up and created a shield, blocking two the robots.

Kylie stood on the other side of Marcos, energy rippling around her hands and arms, giving off a subtle crackling sound. She took a few deep breaths, her eyes turning a bright, electric yellow, "We don't belong in cages." she breathed, her hair turning the same bright yellow, "We deserve to be free!" She thrusted her hands out, grabbing the remaining robot in a vice grip of pure lightning. The energy crackled as the robot was suspended in mid air.

"Clarice." Kylie yelled, her voice strained from the new power she awoke. "You got to get us out of here." Her fingers curled, the lightning intensifying. "You got us out of prison, you can get us out of here too!"

"No!" the purple haired mutant rejected. "It's too dangerous. I can't see where I'm going."

"Well we will die if we stay here." Marcos informed. "So can you please just do it?"

"They're getting through!" Lauren grunted, struggling to keep her shields in place.

Clarice closed her eyes as she held her hands inches apart, bright purple energy beginning to form in the space. A small hole appeared, the edges rippling and the image of a room appearing on the other side. "I can't do it." she sighed, struggling to enlarge the portal a bit more.

"Yes you can!" Kylie encouraged, gritting her teeth. She cast a quick glance at her cellmate and nodded, the corner of her lips forming a smile.

Clarice focused harder, her portal widening just enough for people to jump through. John was the first to go through, and motioned for everyone to follow. Lauren glanced at the two other mutants who were holding back the Sentinels and they gave the nod to let her go ahead. Caitlin and Lauren were the next two to jump through the portal.

Kylie tossed the fried remains of one robot aside before grabbing the two that charged foward once the shields went down. "Go Kylie!" Marcos ordered, the light from his palms intensifying. She met his eyes and nodded, thrusting the robots back with what she could muster, quickly turning on her heels and diving through the portal, bracing her hand on John's shoulder when she made it to the other side.

"Whoa, that was intense." Kylie breathed, her hair and eyes fading to normal. She moved to a kneeling position, catching her breath when all of a sudden she heard a gunshot. She jumped to her feet and saw Andy make it through the portal, and Reed falling to the ground in the warehouse.

The portal closed and Clarice's body swayed. Kylie ran and caught her friend before she hit the ground. The remaining three Struckers stood frozen in shock.


	3. Mutant Struggles

**Mutant Struggles**

* * *

The Struckers stood frozen when the portal closed while Reed was still in the warehouse. The strain of using her powers proved a bit much for Clarice and she collapsed, Kylie catching her before she hit the ground. "Clarice?" the platinum blonde questioned, shaking her shoulders. "Clarice, wake up."

Behind her, Andy was freaking out, trying to contemplate what had just happened within the past few minutes. "Andy, calm down." his mother told him.

"What the hell was that?!" Andy exclaimed again.

"Hey!" Lauren called. "Where's my dad?"

"We know as much as you do." Marcos replied calmly.

"What just happened?" Caitlin asked them, "Where are we?"

"This is our headquarters." John answered.

The voices of the three family members overlapped, but all were asking the same questions and wanting the same thing; to go back to that warehous and save Reed.

"Even if we could get back, it is a very bad idea." John explained, still managing to keep a level head. "I know you want to help your dad, but that is suicide. It's not gonna help him if we all get killed. Right now, we need to take care of Clarice."

As he was explaining that last bit, Kylie and Marcos each slung one of Clarice's arms around their shoulders, helping her into the main room of the Mutant Underground Headquarters.

Despite the warning from Thunderbird, the youngest Strucker was persistent in wanting to go back for his father. "Please. You got to help us. Can you get us back to my dad?"

"It hurts." Clarice muttered, her head slumped to the side resting on Kylie's shoulder. "I've never gone that far before."

Marcos and Kylie managed to lay her on a nearby bench. "She's in no condition to use her powers again." the blonde informed, kneeling down by the bench. "C'mon Clarice, stay with us."

"Ky." she muttered, her bright green eyes half-closed, but looking up at the blonde.

"Yeah, I'm here." Kylie half smiled, moving hair from Clarice's face.

"Give her some space." Marcos pushed Andy back a few paces, but the fifteen year old pushed back. "You've got to wake her up." he pleaded. "Can you wake her up, please?"

"Hey kid!" Kylie yelled, her eyes turning electric yellow, sparks flying from her fingertips. "Back off!"

Marcos pulled Andy aside as Kylie's eyes faded back to normal after she took a deep breath. "Look, kid." he spoke calmly. "Your dad was gonna help me get my girlfriend out of jail. I want him here just as much as you do, but we cannot do this right now. All right?"

Kylie pressed her hand to Clarice's forehead, her expression changing. "She's burning up." She looked over her shoulder at John, who was standing right behind her. "She needs a doctor."

The older male put his hand on her shoulder, "I'll see what I can do." he promised, him and Marcos heading up the stairs.

* * *

Half an hour went by when Clarice suddenly gasped for a breath, her hand grabbing Kylie's forearm and squeezed tightly. Lauren ran to grab John and Marcos while Caitlin knelt down by the bench to check on Clarice.

"What's wrong with her?" Kylie asked, biting her lip. "Is she alright?"

"She's in respiratory distress." Caitlin informed. "And her temperature's spiking." Lauren returned with John and Marcos. "I'm a nurse." Caitlin elaborated. "She needs help."

"She portaled for miles." John noted. "The energy that must take."

"I can't-" Clarice rasped. "I can't breathe." Kylie knelt back down next to her friend, taking her hand. "She needs medical attention." the blonde said.

"We can't reach a doctor right now." Marcos informed.

Caitlin's expression changed. "Are you telling me you have this whole network, and you don't have a -

"A what? A Blue Cross?" Marcos cut her off. "Yeah, we're on the mutant plan. We've got first aid kits and pain killers right now. Our only two member with medical training are at another station that's hours away."

"Can't you do anything?" Kylie asked, looking up at Caitlin.

"I took a one-week course on human variant medicine in school." she replied.

"Mom. She saved us." Lauren reminded. "You can help her."

Caitlin caught her breath and knelt beside Kylie to check on Clarice, "Her heart rate's through the roof." she informed. "Without running tests, I can't-"

Clarice lurched up, purple sparks emitting from her palms, making everyone other than Kylie jump back. "What, what's she doing?" Andy stammered. "What's going on?"

"She may be in shock." Caitlin noted. "If her system's crashing, if it's unstable, it may be affecting her abilities."

Kylie gave Clarice's hand a tight squeeze, taking a shaky breath "What does she need?" she asked, her eyes locking on Caitlin.

Caitlin took a moment to gather her thoughts before answering. "Hypercortisone-D to stabilize her powers. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate for potassium. Something to restore her blood calcium." she listed. "She needs a hospital."

"A hospital?" Kylie repeated.

"She's wanted. She'll go straight back to jail." Marcos added.

"I don't think you understand me." Caitlin rebuked, meeting Marcos' eyes. "She could die here."

Clarice lurched up again, purple sparks flying from her hands. A portal began to open near the vault, the other side displaying a dark road. "What is that?" Lauren asked, her eyes wide. A pair of headlights came into view, heading right for them.

The truck's horn blared and the tires screeched as everyone dove out of the way. The truck swerved and the tail-end was cut off when the portal closed. Thunderbird shielded Lauren and Andy while Eclipse pushed Caitlin out of the way and Kylie threw her body over Clarice.

"Mom." Lauren knelt down next to Caitlin, noticing the small cut on her forehead that was bleeding.

"It's okay." the woman assured her daughter.

John and Kylie lifted Clarice from the bench and laid her on a metal table near the vault's entrance.

"I thought you said she was overextending her powers." Marcos said to Caitlin, "How is she doing this?"

Caitlin got to her feet with the help of her children, "I think I was pretty clear, I'm not an expert." she reminded.

Two other women joined the group. One was petite with long, red hair, pale skin and green eyes, wearing a grey shirt with a black leather jacket and matching pants. The second was taller, with dark brown hair and matching eyes, wearing a red shirt with a white lab coat and camo-printed cargo pants, along with a pair of brown combat boots, a set of metal dog-tags dangled from her neck.

Marcos looked up and sighed in relief, "Dani, thank God." he breathed.

The brunette walked forward, standing next to Marcos and looked over Clarice, "So this is the teleporter you three went chasing the other night?" she asked.

"Yeah." John answered. "Her powers seem to be out of control."

"Must be overextension." Dani guessed, checking Clarice's pulse. "Her body's going into shock."

"We've established that much." Marcos confirmed, motioning to Caitlin. "She said the same thing."

Caitlin took a few steps forward, "I'm a nurse." she repeated.

Dani gave a nod, "Well, I'm a doctor." she replied.

Clarice let our a grunt before gasping for breath, Kylie immediately holding her down. "Look!" Andy alerted, pointing to another forming portal. "It's happening again."

"That's the same road as before." the petite readhead noted.

The driver of the truck stepped out, a shotgun in hand. A few other vehicles were on the road, everyone's attention turned on the glowing portal. "This is a problem." Marcos muttered. "They can see us." He stepped forward, the palms of his hands glowing.

John grabbed his friend's forearm, "We're not getting into a pitched battle with innocent bystanders."

"Yeah?" Marcos questioned. "What about him?" he looked back to the truck driver with the shotgun.

Lauren stepped forward, spreading her arms. Small, compacted bubbles formed on either side of the portal, forcing it closed. Before the shotgun could be fired, the portal closed altogether.

"Dude, what did you just do?" Andy asked, his eyes wide.

Lauren shrugged, "I don't know." she answered. "I just, I used shields to close it. I didn't think it'd work, but I guess it did."

"For now." Kylie muttered, tucking hair behind her friend's ear. "She's in bad shape."

"That could happen again." John added, standing opposite Kylie.

"Again." Marcos repeated. "If people start coming through, we're toast."

Kylie bit her lip, turning to Caitlin and Dani, "If we get you the medicine you need, can you help her from here?" she asked.

Caitlin let out a shaky laugh, "You can't just buy Hypercortisone-D at Walgreen's." she informed. "You have to get to the hospital, get in the Pyxis machine."

Marcos looked to Dani, who shook her head, "I haven't been able to restock, what with the government cracking down on the people who help us."

"Is there anyone you can go to, to get what we need?" Marcos asked.

Dani licked her lips, "There is one hospital a few hours out." she answered. "Someone there I know from the service. But, I'll need a way to get back there."

"Well, then we'll take Caitlin." Marcos suggested. He turned to Lauren, "If this happens again, can you do whatever it is you just did?"

The teenage girl nodded, "Yeah. I think so."

"Good." Dani cleared her throat. "Let's go."

"No!" Caitlin interjected. "I am not leaving my daughter here to close space holes."

"Mom." Lauren walked up to her mother, "It's okay. I can do this." she assured.

Caitlin reluctantly agreed to leave with Marcos and Danielle, while Lauren and Andy stayed behind in the headquarters.

* * *

Kylie stood watch over Clarice, trying to quell her fever with a cold, damp cloth. The two Strucker kids were sitting on the bench with John standing in front of them. "So, who are they anyways?" Andy asked John, motioning his head towards the two girls.

Clarice let out a low groan. Kylie pursed her lips together and continued dabbing at her forehead and neck, "Refugees." John answered. "They escaped from jail."

"Jail?" Lauren repeated. "What they'd do?"

At the tone at which the asked, Kylie looked in their direction, continuing to tend to her friend, "She used a portal to steal food from the back of a supermarket." Kylie answered,

"It happens a lot with mutants who can't pass for human." John added. "They can't get jobs, one thing leads to another-"

Clarice gasped, electricity crackling from her hands, panting. Kylie grabbed her friend's forearm, speaking her name calmly. John motioned to the redheaded female from earlier, Sonya, to get everyone in the facility away from the forming portal.

Sirens could be heard and as the portal grew, the same road, only in daylight, was shown. A police barricade was set up, the officers gaping at the portal before them. Lauren stepped forward and used her abilities like before It took a bit longer than the previous time, all the while Thunderbird was listening to the officer's voices.

"Listen, I need all the help I can get out here." "Copy that. They're on their way." "Yeah, I need a SWAT team out here ASAP. We could have an alpha-level threat here."

Lauren managed to get the portal closed, catching her breath after. Kylie let out the breath she had been holding, "That was way too close." she mumbled.

John stepped back, turning to Kylie, "I'll be back in a minute." he told her, earning a nod of confirmation. "Anything happens, you yell." Kylie nodded again.

Andy turned to his sister, "What you're doing, it's insane." he chuckled.

Lauren mustered a small smile, "Thanks."

The younger Strucker sighed, "Do you think, um...Do you think mutants drink soda?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders, "I'm kind of thirsty."

Lauren shook her head and chuckled softly, "We are mutants." she reminded.

Andy nodded, "Right, yeah. Still sinking in." He glanced back at Kylie, who had all her attention on Clarice. "So." Andy cleared his throat, "What did you do?"

The platinum blonde mutant met the two siblings' gazes, "Depends who ya ask." she replied, a slight accent coming through her tone.

Lauren raised an eyebrow, "We're asking you."

Kylie sighed, "I used my powers in self defense." she admitted. "Some off-duty cops, Purifiers,-" she looked down, her jaw tensing. "They deemed me 'dangerous' and arrested me." Her eyes grew hard as she gripped the metal table, "You ask me, those racist bastards deserve to be thrown in cages, not us."

* * *

A few hours out, Danielle parked the car and cut the engine. "Here we are." she informed Marcos and Caitlin. "Someone I served with works here. He can help us get what we need."

The three approached the South Region Hospital entrance, Caitlin's eyes taking in the sight of the over-crowded urgent care facility. "It's not much like the hospitals you're used to, is it?" Marcos questioned, glancing to Caitlin. "And they're talking about closing even this place to mutant patients. Turns out one of our best superpowers is bankrupting hospitals. We're born with the ultimate preexisting condition."

"I guess so." Caitlin muttered.

"This is gonna be tough." Dani sighed. "The ER's secured, and the drugs are inside. We're not getting into the treatment area without an emergency, not for hours."

An idea came to Caitlin's mind, "You said a cop shot you." she said to Marcos. "Where?"

"Wait, what?" the male questioned with a raised brow.

"Look, Clarice is dying." Caitlin stated. "Show me your wound."

Marcos complied and removed his flannel, "Just watch out for the blood." he warned.

Caitlin rolled her eyes, "I've seen blood." she reminded.

Dani let out a chuckle, "Not like his." Caitlin removed the duct tape from Marcos' upper arm, revealing the open gunshot wound and his bio-luminescent blood.

The trio rushed into the waiting room, Caitlin claiming to be Marcos' girlfriend and pleaded for a doctor. Once Marcos revealed his wound, the receptionist let them into the ER. A Doctor Watkin tended to Marcos while Dani changed into a pair of green scrubs and met up with her hospital connection.

"Dani, what the hell are you doing here?!" Dr. Lee exclaimed. He was around Dani's age with short, sandy blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I need some medication." Danielle answered. "And before you even try and argue, remember that I'm the reason you're alive."

Dr. Lee sighed, "What can I do to help?"

Dani smiled, "Just point me to the medicine cabinet and I'll do the rest."

Dr. Lee led her towards the back, pointing to where the medication was kept, "Take the minimum of what you need."

The female mutant nodded, casually walking towards the room. She caught something scrawled on a board next to a patient's room, "Stacy?" she questioned, the nurse in the room turned to her, "Radiology needs Mr. Embry down for X-rays." she pointed over her shoulder. The nurse named Stacy shook her head and walked out.

Using her telekinesis, Dani kept the door to the medication from closing, long enough for her to stand in front and shield herself from the staff walking by. Once it was clear, she grabbed the vials of what she needed, along with syringes and various other supplies the Underground Station needed, placing them all in the small backpack she brought along.

As she walked back to rejoin Caitlin and Marcos, Dani caught sight of Dr. Watkin talking with a couple of uniformed officers, "Aw shit." she cursed, picking up her pace. "We've gotta go." she informed Marcos and Caitlin.

"What's goin on?" Marcos asked.

"The doctor that treated you, well he's talking to the police right now." Danielle answered as the trio headed out.

"You sure he was talking to the cops about us?" the Hispanic male questioned.

"I don't think we should take any chances." Caitlin advised. The two officers spotted them and they made a run for it.

* * *

Kylie pressed the palm of her hand on Clarice's forehead, taking a deep breath. Once she exhaled, her breath became visible and her eyes and hair faded into a steel blue, ice crystals forming on her hand. "What're you doin?" Andy asked, somewhat intrigued.

"She's burning up." Kylie answered, referring to Clarice's fever. "Hopefully this can keep her temperature down long enough for your mom and the others to get back."

"It hurts." Clarice rasped, her eyes half-closed. "I have to get away."

"You're not goin anywhere C." Kylie replied in a soft voice.

"We need to start getting everyone out of here." John voted.

"We are not gonna abandon this place." Sonya objected.

"I don't see what choice we have." John admitted. "She's opening portals every few minutes now, and Lauren can't keep this up."

"I can keep trying." breathed the aforementioned teen.

"Mom has to be back soon, right?" the youngest Strucker questioned.

Clarice lurched once more, another portal forming not too far from them. Kylie tried to hold Clarice still, while Lauren attempted to close the new portal, but failed as it was larger than the previous ones.

One of the officers stepped through the portal with his weapon drawn. Kylie's grip tightened on her friend, and John stepped up, putting himself between the S.W.A.T officer and the others. Thunderbird disarmed the officer easily, lifted him to the ceiling, and then tossed him back onto the other side of the portal. Just as the rest of the S.W.A.T team was about to open fire, Andy ran forward and used his kinetic powers to knock them away. The recoil knocked the table over and Clarice hit the ground while Kylie banged her head on the vault door.

John knelt beside Kylie, his hand on her shoulder, "Kylie, you okay?" he asked.

The blonde shook it off, pulling her arm back, "Fine. Not the first time I've had my bell rung." she probed her forehead and felt a warm, wet substance. Smaller portals began to open all over the building. Kylie turned all of her attention on Clarice.

"Get everyone out, now!" John ordered, looking to Sonya, who nodded. Andy helped his sister to her feet the the two followed the redhead. John turned to Kylie, who was trying to awaken her unconscious friend, "Kylie, you should go too."

"No." she rejected, re-activating her ice powers, her hands on Clarice's forehead and the side of her neck.

"It's too dangerous-" John grabbed her shoulder.

"I'm not leaving her!" Kylie spat, her steel blue eyes meeting John's brown ones. He could tell by the look in her eyes, she was determined not to leave her friend's side, and he backed down.

* * *

Dani drove back to HQ with Marcos in the passenger seat and Caitlin in the back. "Is it always that bad for mutants?" she asked.

Eclipse and Nyx exchanged a look, "You thought that was bad?" Marcos quirked a brow, "That doc actually stitched me up before he called the cops. That's top flight mutant health care right there."

"I mean, there are protections, though." Caitlin argues. "The Civil Rights Act."

"Yeah, yeah, Mutant Rights Oh, they're a nice idea." Danielle scoffed. "But there's always an exception for public safety. All they have to do is call you dangerous, and-" she snapped her fingers, "-those go right out the window."

Caitlin looked to both mutants, "How did your families deal with it?"

"Mine didn't." Marcos scoffed. "When I first lit up, I was thirteen. They kicked me out the same day." he rested his arm against the window, "To survive, I had to do a lot of things that I'm not proud of, but it was Lorna who saved me from all that."

Caitlin nodded in understanding, her eyes moving to Danielle. Feeling the human woman's gaze on her, Dani's Puma ears emerged from beneath her hair, "My parent's 'claimed' to be okay with it." she used air quotes, "But, I really don't think they were. Lucy and I were ten when we got our ears, tails, and claws." She tapped the steering wheel and her nails turned into curved feline claws, her pupils momentarily slitting. "It happened in the middle of school. Once our parents found out, they had no idea what to do. Lucy and I accepted it, not sure if our parents did though."

"What makes you think that?" Caitlin pressed.

"They were fine with the whole ears and tails, as long as it was only the four of us at home." Dani's claws shifted back to normal nails. "If company was over, or we were out in public, we had to hide them. At eighteen, Luce and I enlisted in the Army as medics. We served a couple tours, were discharged, then we worked for a Mutant Clinic in Dallas. Then seven-fifteen happened and we were approached to join the Underground. Been with it ever since."

Caitlin pursed her lips, "I can't believe parents would reject their own children."

"You haven't." Eclipse pointed out.

"That's something." Nyx added.

Caitlin nodded in agreement, before suddenly becoming panic-stricken. "Something's wrong." she gasped, "Turn around!"

"It's alright." Nyx assured. "It's just a security measure."

"It's what?" Caitlin braced herself against the backseat.

"One of our mutants can project fear. It keeps people away from the HQ." Eclipse elaborated. "It's not usually this strong."

"Something's wrong." Nyx deduced. She brought the vehicle to a stop and Marcos spoke with Pedro, the mutant responsible for security. He informed them that the building was being evacuated as Clarice's portals continued to violently open and close everywhere in and around the building.

* * *

Kylie fought through the throbbing pain radiating from her right temple, blood dripping down that side of her face, keeping all of her focus on Clarice. "C'mon Clarice, open your eyes!" she yelled, shaking her unconscious friend's shoulders. "C'mon Clarice, please!"

John nudged Kylie's shoulder and she followed his line of sight. A portal opened above them and they saw Caitlin staring back at them. The top portal closed and another opened a few feet ahead of them. Caitlin jumped through the portal and landed on the nearby couch.

"Caitlin!" John helped her from the couch to Clarice.

Caitlin knelt beside Clarice's head, the mutant girl panting and mumbling, "Have to go."

"No, Clarice, you're staying here with us." Caitlin rebuked, taking out one of the smaller medication She tore open a syringe packet and filled it with the medicine, "I need you to listen to me, and I need you to be strong." she injected the medication to stabilize Clarice's potassium levels.

A plank of wood came flying through another portal. Kylie lifted one of her hands and sent an ice blast, freezing the debris coming towards them. She let out a gasp and swayed, steadying herself by putting her weight on her hands. John held his arm out in front of him and Kylie, blocking the wood from hitting her.

"Kylie-" Caitlin addressed the girl.

"I'm fine." the mutant teen rebuked, "Just help Clarice."

Caitlin nodded and handed Kylie the bottle of Hypercortisone-D, "Hold this for me." Kylie obliged, her eyes never leaving her cellmate. Caitlin filled a second syringe with the liquid, "Okay, Clarice, deep breath." she said, the needle hovering over Clarice's shoulder, "And be strong for me, now." She injected the medicine into the muscle tissue of the shoulder.

Clarice's eyes flew open and she caught her breath, the portals dissipating. "Ky." she muttered upon seeing her cellmate's face.

Kylie sighed in relief, her eyes and hair their normal color once more, "You're gonna be okay." she whispered, moving some hair from Clarice's face. "You're okay."

* * *

Everyone worked to get the building back in relative order. Clarice was laying on a cot, a bag of saline hooked up to her. Kylie sat on a bench a few feet away, being tended to by Caitlin.

"There's a pretty nasty bruise forming." Caitlin noted as she cleaned the blood from the teen girl's temple. "I'm surprised you stayed conscious as long as you did."

Kylie shrugged, "It's not my first concussion." she admitted, not even wincing as Caitlin placed a bandage over the cut.

"Well, if you feel any dizziness or nausea, find me okay?" Caitlin patted her knee.

Kylie saw the warmth in the woman's eyes and gave a slight nod, "Sure." she agreed, getting to her feet. Caitlin patted her shoulder, returning the smile. Kylie walked up to John, who had just finished talking with Clarice, "She okay?"

"Yeah." he answered. "She asked for you." John brushed past her.

"Hey John." Kylie called after him, he turned to face her. "Thank you, for-" she licked her lips, "-for helping us. Clarice and me."

John cracked a small smile, "You're welcome." he replied before walking off.

Kylie tapped Clarice's hand as she moved to sit beside her cot, "Hey girl." she greeted softly.

Clarice looked at her friend and noticed the bandage on her forehead, "Please tell me that's not because of me." she muttered.

Kylie shook her head, "Nah." she assured. "It's nothin. Not my first concussion, remember?" Clarice chuckled lightly, squeezing Kylie's hand. "Just get some rest okay. I'm not goin anywhere."

Clarice smiled at her friend and closed her eyes. Kylie herself smiled and sat on the floor beside the cot, leaning against it. She pulled her leather knapsack close, opening it and pulling out a journal with an angel wing design on the cover. She opened it and flipped through the pages, some had small polaroids taped on them, others had what appeared to be song lyrics written on them. Kylie stopped on a certain page, which had a picture of her at thirteen; her platinum hair in low pigtails. She had her arms wrapped around a male in his late twenties to early thirties, with brown hair that reach the tops of his shoulders and blue eyes. Both were grinning ear to ear, wearing red jersey-shirts with cream colored trim and red ballcaps with a big cream colored 'OU' in the center.

Kylie bit her lip, moisture welling in her eyes as she touched the photo. "I miss you daddy." she whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.


	4. Trial by Firearms

**Trial by Firearms**

* * *

Kylie and Clarice sat alone on the upper level of the Underground Headquarters. It's been a couple of days since Clarice's powers went haywire. "I'm glad you're back on your feet." Kylie said, nudging Clarice's shoulder. "You had me worried." The platinum-blonde girl wore a faded grey long-sleeved shirt with a pair of frayed jean shorts and black flip-flops.

"Yeah." Clarice sighed, taking a sip of her warm tea. "Sorry about that." She wore a black t-shirt with khaki colored jeans with holes in the knees and a pair of black boots.

* * *

After meeting with other members of the Underground, and everyone agreeing that they needed to get Lorna out of jail, John headed up to talk to the two newest mutants. He found them sitting in a lounge-like area, Clarice sitting in a lounge chair with Kylie on the armrest. The two halted their conversation when he approached them.

"You girls got a minute?" the former Marine asked.

Kylie and Clarice exchanged a glance before the silver-eyed one gave a sigh, "I suppose. What's up?"

John smirked and sat on the table opposite the girls, "Some of us were talking and were wondering, if you two would be open to helping us get Lorna back? I mean you guys practically broke yourselves out of prison."

Kylie held up a finger, "I short circuited the collars." she clarified. "Clarice is the one who got us out."

Clarice raised an eyebrow and lightly slapped Kylie's arm, "Yeah, right into the middle of a ten-league freeway." she reminded.

"Hey, we made it." replied the blonde. John rolled his eyes at the two.

"This Lorna chick went to jail saving our asses. We owe her." Clarice noted, motioning between herself and Kylie. "But it won't work. I can't do anything." she admitted, holding up her hands. She flexed her fingers, small purple sparks flying, but nothing happened. "And you want me to help you get into a jail? You'd be better off with a couple glow sticks and a hacksaw." Kylie covered her mouth with the back of her hand, muffling her chuckle.

"Look, something changed after I got sick." Clarice continued. "I woke up with this new beauty mark here." she brushed some hair from her face, revealing a line underneath her right eye, "And my powers..." she shrugged, "...I don't know they're-they're broken."

"Abilities don't break." John clarified. "Most mutants first access their abilities from strong emotions: fear, anger, pain."

"Seething rage." Kylie cut in.

John glanced at her, "But those are all unreliable." he continued. "The challenge is to tap into something positive."

"Positive." Kylie added with a quirked eyebrow. She then laughed dryly. "Like what? We do some hot yoga and find our spirit animals?" she chuckled, as did Clarice.

"Um no, thanks." John blinked, "I'm pretty sure your spirit animal would bite me."

"Hers might." Kylie motioned to Clarice. "Mine'll rip your head off." she batted her eyes and grinned.

"No, it's impossible." John matched her grin with his own, "My head can't be ripped off."

"You wanna test that theory?" Kylie challenged, raising her brow. She rested her arm across the back of the lounge chair, a grin on her face.

John just laughed it off and patted the blonde's knee as he got to his feet, "We're gonna work on it. See you two in the morning." he walked off, leaving the girls alone.

Kylie scoffed, "He really is one cocky son of a bitch." she shook her head as she watched John leave. "Are all men that stubborn, or is it just him?"

Clarice glanced between her friend and the station leader, "You like him." she deduced.

"I so do not." Kylie rebuked, getting off the chair's armrest.

"Then why were you checking him out?" Clarice raised her brow, standing up.

"I wasn't." rebuffed the blonde.

Clarice draped her arm around Kylie's shoulders, "Ky, when a girl watches a boy walk away from them for more than three seconds, she's checking him out."

Kylie rolled her eyes and shook off Clarice's arm, "You know what, bite me." she scoffed, walking towards the room that was set up for the two.

"Denile." Clarice muttered under her breath.

The room that was set up for the two was medium sized, with two cots separated by a nightstand with a lamp and a digital clock. Clarice unzipped her boots and slid out of her jeans, replacing them with some navy blue sweatpants. She pulled her t-shirt over her head and put on a dark purple tank top. Kylie kicked off her flip-flops and removed her jeans, slipping on a pair of black shorts in their place. She took off her grey shirt, revealing a white tank underneath it. Both girls climbed into bed, Kylie turning off the nightstand lamp, and did their best to drift off into sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kylie and Clarice met with John outside of the building. The two girls wore the same clothes from the day before, only this time Kylie wore a pair of faded white sneakers instead of flip-flops. Both girls also held mugs of warm coffee, needing the caffeine to wake them up for their training.

"Did you think about what I said last night?" John asked, looking over his shoulder at the two girls.

"We did." Kylie answered, taking a swig of her coffee.

Clarice did the same, "What I can do. Literally, I have the power to bail out of bad situations." she informed. "So being scared is just a big part of it."

Kylie nodded along, holding her coffee mug in one hand while the other rested on her hip, "And with my powers, I'm not sure." she shrugged, "I remember always being angry or scared when I used them."

John listened to the two of them and gave a nod in understanding, "Okay, I understand that." he sympathized, "In the Marines when you want to give up, they train you to focus on what you care about most." he explained, walking alongside the two girls. "To hold onto it like your life depended on it. Because at some point, it will."

Kylie bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "So what did you care about?" Clarice asked.

"Back then I had a lot to prove." John replied, "About being Apache, a mutant."

"What if I don't have anything?" Kylie said, making the other two mutants on either side look at her. John placed his hand on Kylie's shoulder, "Think about what you love now." he answered.

Kylie shrugged her shoulders, glancing up at him, "I don't really have anything." she sighed, finishing the rest of her coffee.

"Well then, try to remember a happy memory from your past." John advised. "Find one and focus on that. Remember the positive emotions."

Kylie nodded and handed her empty mug to Clarice. She looked straight ahead and took a deep breath, feeling John lightly squeeze her shoulder. She searched her memories, trying to find a happy one. An invisible ripple swirled up around her arm as she took deep, slow breaths. A soft breeze blew through her hair, turning it from platinum blonde to a soft jade green.

"Wow." Clarice breathed, seeing a pile of leaves off to their left turn into a slow rotating cyclone.

"Good job Kylie." John praised.

Kylie opened her eyes, which were now a bright emerald green. She gasped when she saw the leaves dancing not to far from where they stood. She moved her fingers, making the wind move the leaves in a spiral motion. The wind picked up, making her hair blow back, but a few strands brushed against her cheeks. Kylie blinked, her memory suddenly taking a hard right. Thunder and gunshots echoed in her ears and she squeezed her eyes shut, her hands clenching into fists and her breathing becoming labored.

"Kylie!" John called, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, his fingers getting tangled in her hair. "It's okay, you're safe." He pulled her to his side, soothing her.

Kylie's breathing evened out as her hair faded back to it's normal color. She opened her eyes and reflexively pulled away from John, shoving her hands into her back pockets. "Sorry." she apologized, brushing her hair back. She turned to Clarice, "Your turn."

Clarice rolled her eyes, "For the record, the green eyes look good on you." she complemented, "Green hair, not so much." She lightly jabbed her cellmate's shoulder.

"Okay Clarice, same drill." John stood back, his arms at his sides, "Picture that thing you care about."

A smile spread across the green-eyed mutant's face as she held her hands inches apart, "A warm jelly donut." Kylie stifled her laugh by covering her mouth with her sleeve.

John rolled his eyes, "Picture it, and go to it." Him and Kylie both watched as purple and blue energy began to crackle between Clarice's hands. But, before even a small portal could form, the energy vanished. "See, this is exactly why I shouldn't be doing this." Clarice groaned, "Last time I tried, I nearly took down your entire-"

"Don't focus on the fear." John cut her off, "Okay. You focus..." he stopped mid-sentence when he sensed something. He looked down and noticed three sets of footprints, his foresight ability showing him Caitlin and her children leaving the station the previous night.

"Yo, Sherlock!" Kylie called, her hands on her hips, "What's going on?"

John sighed, looking between Clarice and Kylie, "We have a problem." he answered bluntly. "The Struckers are gone." He pushed between them and ran back into the station.

* * *

Kylie laid on her cot and stared up at the wall, her arms pulled into her chest. Her eyes were mildly bloodshot and a little puffy, and tear trails stained her cheeks. The painful memory from earlier replayed in her head, making her squeeze her eyes shut as more tears fell.

There was a knock on the door, startling the blonde. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and rolled over, seeing John standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" she asked, a bit of snark in her tone.

"I talked with Marcos and we're going after Caitlin, Lauren, and Andy." John answered, taking a step into the room. "I want you to come along. Get out of the station for a day."

"I'm a wanted fugitive." Kylie reminded. "I think it's best I stay put." She pulled her knees up to her chest.

John sighed, "Look Kylie, I know what's going on, and being cooped up here alone won't help." he walked up to her, standing beside her cot.

"You don't know anything." the blonde shot back, not meeting his eyes. "You can't possibly know."

"You're right." the station leader agreed. "But I think helping us help the Struckers might be good for you." He held out his hand. "Please."

Kylie glanced up and saw sincerity in John's eyes. Hesitantly, she reached up and laid her hand in his, which he grasped, pulling her off the cot. The two stood face-to-face, and deep down Kylie could feel that she can trust him. "Okay." she breathed, removing her hand from his. "How do we find them?"

"The same way I found you and Clarice." John answered, leading Kylie out of the Underground Station to a lot where some old cars were parked. Marcos was already in the driver's seat of an old golden colored SUV.

* * *

The next morning, John's tracking ability led them to a nice two-story brick home in an upscale neighborhood. "So that's how the other half lives." Kylie muttered as she stepped out of the van. She followed the two station leaders around to the back of the house, where they broke in via a side door and slipped inside.

Caitlin laid on the couch in the den with covered by a thin quilt. John woke her up, and was met with a kitchen knife. "What are you doing here?" Caitlin whispered sharply, "You can't just break in." She practically jumped off the couch.

"You don't understand-" John began, keeping his voice low.

"Yes, I do." Caitlin cut off. "I understand that I am trying to help my husband."

"What, with favors and phone calls?" Marcos questioned, "We discussed this."

"No." Caitlin rebuked, pointing the knife in the direction of Marcos and Kylie, "I distinctly remember that there was, in fact, no discussion."

Kylie held her hands up in surrender, "Easy sister, put the knife down." she said slowly.

"We need to go." John suggested, "If we can find you, others can, too."

"Cait?" a male voice called from the nearby hallway. It belonged to a male a few years older than Caitlin, who looked similar to her. "What's going on?"

"Danny." Caitlin breathed, looking at her brother. "Everything's okay." She set the knife down on the coffee table.

"It doesn't look okay to me." Danny noted, taking the knife off the table.

"These are the people who are trying to help us." Caitlin informed, standing between her brother and the members of the Underground.

Kylie lowered her hands and slipped them in her pockets, "Look dude, if we were gonna hurt you, we would've done it already." she pointed out, earning a side-eyed look from John.

"What the hell, Caitlin? You bring mutants into my home?" Danny accused.

"Mutants?" Caitlin repeated, her voice normal. "Seriously, Danny? The only mutants I brought into your home are your niece and nephew."

Marcos had moved to the window by the front door and peeked out, seeing a few trucks and cars pull up. A group of men got out and were approaching the house, armed with shotguns. "Save your family spat for later." he cut in, "Right now we got bigger problems."

"What kind of problems?" Kylie asked, moving to stand beside Marcos. Her eyes immediately found the loaded firearms and she backed away, her heartbeat already picking up.

"Get the kids." John ordered, looking to Caitlin, who nodded and ran upstairs to grab her son and daughter.

"We know you're in there." one of the men outside yelled. "Danny, come on out. We need to talk."

"Who did you tell that you were coming?" Danny asked his sister once she returned downstairs.

"No one." Caitlin answered.

"Well, obviously one of your friends here did." Danny went on.

Andy and Lauren's cousin, Scott, spoke up "I texted a pic of a trophy Andy tore apart to one friend."

Everyone looked in the kid's direction, knowing that was the cause of the mob outside.

"They're seven deep out front." Marcos informed, joining the group in the center of the den. "Anything around back?"

"Yeah, there's four of 'em, and then more outside the kitchen door." John added. "We're surrounded. Look, I can get us through a wall, but if they start shooting while we run, there's gonna be a fight."

As soon as she heard the word 'shooting' Kylie's breath hitched in her throat as she backed up into the wall, twisting the ends of her sleeves in her hands before clutching them into fists. Hearing the rapid beating of her heart, John stepped closer to Kylie, assuring her they would be okay.

"We can take those guys." Andy pointed out.

"Yeah, of course we can take them." John agreed. "But we do that, people are gonna die."

Andy's eyes narrowed as he looked in the direction of the front door. "Well, maybe it's time these people learned."

"Andy." Caitlin scolded. "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do." Andy rebuked. "Listen to them, Mom. They hate us."

"Just send 'em out and we'll go away." one of the men out on the front lawn called.

"I'll go." Danny volunteered. "It's Chuck Sanders."

"Chuck?" Caitlin repeated, "I was on swim team with him." She took a few steps forward but was stopped by her brother. "I know. I don't think you're quite understanding how people how they feel about all this."

Daniel stepped outside to talk to his neighbors while the others stepped out of the line of sight. Kylie tried to control her breathing, her rapid heartbeat was another story. "Why do so many people in the south have to own guns." she muttered in between her shallow breaths.

"Is she okay?" Scott asked, staring at the blonde mutant.

"She'll be fine." John answered, his hand on Kylie's shoulder.

Danny tried to convince the mob outside that no one was in the house except for his son Scott. Not believing him, Chuck hit Danny in the face with the shotgun he held. The armed mob then walked towards the house.

His anger boiled over and Andy used his powers to destroy the door, sending Chuck and the rest of the mob flying back into the grass. "Leave us alone!" the teenager yelled.

Chuck reached for his shotgun and held it up, preparing to fire. John pulled Andy out of the line of fire as Marcos projected two heat rays from his palms, which burned the barrel of the gun, causing Chuck to drop it once it got too hot. Thunderbird and Eclipse covered Kylie and the Struckers as they made a break for their SUV.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kylie saw one of the men brandish a gun, preparing to fire it. Her eyes widened for a brief moment before she shut them, flexing her fingers. She felt energy crackle and her hair turned electric yellow. Her eyes shot open and she flung out her hands, bolts of lightning crashing down between them and the mob. Kylie then dove into the van and braced herself against the door on the driver's side.

* * *

Once they were clear of the neighborhood, a few members of the mob stood in the truck beds and began firing. Hearing the gunshots, Kylie pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her face in her knees. Her shoulders heaved as her breaths became rapid and shallow.

"Lauren, can't you shield them?" Andy asked, panic lacing his voice.

"I can't shield what I can't see." Lauren answered, her and her brother watching as the trucks gained up on them.

"Just stay down." Caitlin ordered her children, who ducked lower in the far backseat. The woman then turned her attention to the shaking mutant on the floorboard. "Kylie, stay calm." she said in a soft voice, lowering her hand to brace it on the girl's shoulder. "You're gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay."

All Kylie could hear were the gunshots, everything else was a dull echo. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and her palms were starting to sweat. She tightened her arms around her legs, a small whimper escaping her lips. She faintly felt a hand on her upper back, but didn't move to see who it was.

* * *

The SUV suddenly lurched to a halt, making Kylie peek over the tops of her knees. "Is it over?" Kylie whispered, licking her lips.

"Yeah sweetie, we're back at the station." Caitlin assured, rubbing the teen's back.

Kylie swallowed the lump in her throat, her body still visibly shaking. Her hand then immediately went to her mouth and she turned and yanked the side door open, running to a nearby tree. She braced one hand on the trunk as she vomited into the grass, pushing her hair back away from her mouth. She coughed and dry heaved a few more times before finally catching her breath.

"You alright?" John asked, standing behind her.

Kylie wiped her mouth with her sleeve, "Not really." she scoffed, turning to face him. "What the hell was that back there? You know what, next time the Struckers run off, you can go get them yourself." She spat in the grass, before brushing hair from her face, "How did we get back here so fast?"

John sighed, looking over Kylie's shoulder, seeing Sonya and Clarice running towards them, "You can ask Clarice."

"Clarice?" Kylie repeated, glancing in the same direction as John.

Clarice was the first to reach them and she threw her arms around John's neck, earning a quirked eyebrow from Kylie, "Are you all right?" the green-eyed girl asked, pulling away.

"Yeah. We all are." John answered, a bit off guard.

"I can't believe it worked. I mean, a freaking SUV." Clarice chuckled, "I'm so glad it did."

"Yeah, thanks." Kylie looked between Clarice and John, all sorts of confused. Sonya stood back, her eyes meeting John's.

"Clarice, why don't you take Kylie inside and get her some water." John suggested, motioning to said platinum-blonde mutant.

Clarice nodded, "Yeah sure." she agreed, turning to her friend. "C'mon Ky, let's go."

"Right. Okay." Kylie went along, heading back towards the Underground HQ.

* * *

A few hours went by before John decided to talk to Kylie about what happened earlier in the day. He found her laying in her cot with headphones in her ears that were attached to a silver iPod, a black knapsack was open on the floor beside her bed. He knocked on the door to get her attention. Kylie looked up and paused the Carrie Underwood song she was listening to, removing her headphones and setting her iPod on the nightstand.

"Can we talk?" John asked.

"I guess." Kylie shrugged, sliding off the bed and following him out. They leaned against the railing overlooking the bottom level of the headquarters.

"Look, about this morning, I didn't know that was gonna happen." John sighed. "I'm sorry that it did." he glanced over at the blonde, "It was the guns, wasn't it?"

"What about them?" Kylie bit her lip and didn't meet his eyes. She tapped her fingers on the wooden railing.

John kept his eyes on her, "I served two tours overseas, I know what PTSD looks like." Kylie closed her eyes, biting her lower lip. He placed his hand on her forearm, "Was it those men? The guns?" he felt her tense up at the mention of guns, "You had a panic attack the night Marcos, Lorna, and I found you and Clarice. There was gunfire then too. What happened-"

"I saw my father get shot!" Kylie snapped. She took a deep breath and exhaled, glancing over at John but not meeting his eyes directly. "The night I was arrested, one of the officers..." she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, "...purifiers, pulled his gun and aimed it at me. My father wrestled it away and it went off." She squeezed her eyes shut for a few moments, suppressing the tears that stung her eyes. "They left him there to bleed to death." her voice cracked and she turned away, taking a shuddering breath then exhaled. "That was the last thing I remember before..." She turned back to face John, "Everytime I close my eyes that's all I see, the only person who ever gave a damn about me dying right in front of me. No matter how many times I try to remember the good things, it always went back to that night."

She turned on her heels and walked back into her room, closing the door behind her and climbed into her bed, laying on her side, facing the wall. She curled up into the fetal position and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone, hope you enjoy this new chapter. Reviews are appreciated!**


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